Leon passed a group of gardeners who were carefully chopping the bushes into different hexagonal and pentagonal shapes.

He halted for the time being and observed the process. For Leon, this felt calming and oddly satisfying to watch.

After observing them, he turned right and entered deep into the flora garden. Just across this place was where the Eclipse's Central Library was situated.

There were many types of libraries in the Eclipse Institute. The first one was the Library of Astral Tale, where entry was based on written permission from the professor. Another one was the Central Library, which was commonly used by scholars of Class S from all years.

That was the place where Eula mostly spent her time. As a third year, she had less coursework compared to the years below her. But that didn't mean those courses were easy. Instead, they were tough, and students starting from the third year got to choose their courses in their respective domains of interest.

Leon slowed his steps as he observed the variety of flowers around him.

If not for education, Eclipse could be a very popular tourist attraction, with cloud-touching architecture and bridges connecting each and every place together.

All of them looked marvelous.

"Ah, young master?" someone called out to him from the side.

Leon stopped in his steps and turned to face the familiar voice.

Just beside a line of sunflowers and white lilies, Leon found Myra watering them.

"Oh, Myra." Leon smiled. "I see you're as busy as usual."

Myra, still holding the water bucket, stepped closer to him.

"Mhm, Mrs. Prich was expecting a baby, so she took a rest for this week. And before she left, she handed over her daily nurturing duties to me."

Leon took his time listening to her story. Mrs. Prich was the Flora Garden's caretaker; because of her, this place bloomed this way.

'Looks like she should be fine…' Leon thought, looking at her.

From what Leon learned, Myra loved gardening so much that her name became well known among all the gardeners inside the Eclipse Institute.

It was a huge deal, because Eclipse had over one hundred gardens.

This fact still amazed Leon.

But even so, it was good to see that his maid was making connections and was not left alone when Leon was busy.

Leon sneered and noticed that Myra was staring at him, her ruby-red eyes blinking.

"Say, Myra." Leon decided to tease her a bit.

"Yes, young master?"

"You would do anything I say to you, right?"

"Precisely," she answered immediately.

"And that includes if I tell you to do something against your will?"

"E-Erm? If it's within my capabilities and doesn't anger Lady Veronica, then I… I think I could."

She looked perplexed, her eyes darting from his face to his ears, as if she were avoiding his gaze.

"Alright then," Leon said lightly, folding his arms. "What if I tell you to leave your gardening hobby?"

Myra blinked, then nodded. "Then I will leave it."

Leon paused for half a second. "No hesitation, huh?"

"No," she replied honestly. "If that is your wish."

"…Huh. That's good to hear."

Leon tilted his head. "And what if I tell you to stop wearing your maid uniform? Just wear whatever you want instead."

Myra looked down at herself, then backed up.

"That would be easy to follow," she said. "I already own other clothes."

Leon smiled faintly. "You're answering a bit too quickly."

"I don't see the problem," Myra replied, tilting her head in confusion.

Leon exhaled through his nose. "Alright. Let's raise the difficulty."

He looked her straight in the eyes.

"What if I tell you to harm someone in the academy?"

"I will do it!"

Maybe Leon was mistaken, but he was sure he had just seen stars in her eyes.

"…You answered that a little too easily."

Myra frowned. "Is that wrong to do?"

"No," Leon said calmly.

He took a step closer to her. "What if I tell you to betray Lady Veronica?"

Her hands tightened around the bucket.

"…That," she said softly, "would be impossible."

Leon nodded. "As I thought. Impossible. So you are actually loyal to her and not me. That makes me sad, Myra."

He made his tone deliberately stretchy.

She swallowed. "…No. Uhh…"

Silence settled between them.

Leon sighed. "Alright, I will not include Veronica's name now. So just one last question."

Leon reached up and unbuttoned the top of his collar, pulling the fabric aside just enough to expose his collarbone.

"How about you drink my blood?"

The bucket slipped from Myra's hands. Water splashed over the soil as she gasped, both hands flying to her mouth. Her face turned crimson as she stepped away from him.

"Y-Young master, p-please…"

Her eyes avoided his, and her breathing turned uneven.

Leon had noticed it for days now. The way her gaze lingered. The way her heartbeat changed whenever she stood too close.

As a half-sanguine, Myra was rare, almost too valuable.

This was what made her Veronica's favorite specimen among all her collections.

Sanguines were bound by instinct.

If they drank from a specific person, from a place where mana flow was densest, then their bond became absolute.

Her thirst for blood would only bind them, and no one else. Her loyalty would crystallize.

It was exploitation in its purest form.

Leon knew this.

And yet.

Even without drinking an ounce of Leon's blood, her reactions betrayed her own vow.

She was already struggling.

"Myra," Leon said quietly, buttoning his collar back up. "Relax. I'm not ordering you to do that."

She exhaled shakily.

"I was just testing something."

Her ruby eyes flickered back to him, uncertain. "…Did I fail?"

Leon smiled.

"No," he said. "You confirmed it."

And that, somehow, made her even more confused.

Leon would use this to his advantage. But if he tried anything funny, then Veronica would notice it. To deal with his own elder sister, Leon needed to plan carefully.

Leon picked up the bucket from the ground and handed it to Myra.

"Here. Also, take today off. I have research to finish by tonight, so I will be spending all the remaining time in my club."

"All alone?" Myra asked, catching her breath.

"Uh, no. I think Alice would be there as well."

"Lady Alice, huh…" Myra repeated. "Alright, good luck, young master. But I won't be taking any rest. I will make sure you get your dinner and a late-night snack."

She said this with a smile.

Leon had nothing to add. He just sighed.

"Alright, if that's the case, bring me some of that coffee my sister gave me."

Myra nodded. "As you wish, young master."

It took Leon five minutes of walking before reaching the Central Library.

"Wow…"

The inside was humongous.

Leon counted that there were eight floors, divided by a combination of various genres.

Some students could be seen silently reading their books.

Leon didn't waste any more minutes and started climbing up the spiral stairs.

As he climbed, he started to wonder exactly how Eula would react when she saw Rumi again.

As a matter of fact, Leon had given his spirit bond the name that Charlotte had chosen for her.

"Haah, why is there no lift…" Leon complained as he stepped onto the fifth floor.

The interior looked identical to libraries from the Victorian era.

It was simply so aesthetically pleasing to his eyes.

After a bit of struggle, he reached the seventh floor.

"Huh, as I thought."

There was no one on this floor.

It made sense, though. Who even wanted to climb that high just to read some books?

And that was the reason why the top floors didn't have any books related to academics.

They were all novels of different genres. The seventh floor had fantasy, action, and horror genres.

And…

Leon climbed up the stairs leading to the eighth and final floor of the library. He glanced up and read the label of the floor.

[Floor 8 – Romance and Dark Fantasy]

Leon's eyes twitched at the words.

Only those who were close to her knew how much Eula loved reading books, and how much she adored reading romance in her free time.

"Stop right there, mister. This place is reserved for the day."

As Leon reached the floor, he was stopped by one of the maids with a royal sigil attached to her apron.

Leon clearly understood who this maid belonged to.

The maid, with maroon hair tied in a long ponytail and green eyes, looked at Leon from top to bottom.

"I am sorry, but this floor is reserved for the day. I ask you to visit another day."

The maid requested.

In Eclipse, it was entirely possible to book an entire floor if it wasn't used on a daily basis. You just needed good enough grades to please all the professors, and a couple of pennies to throw around.

Leon stared into her emerald-green eyes and spoke.

"I am here to meet Eula. Is she here?"

The maid's eyes slit together when she heard him address her without honorifics.

"How rude of you—"

Before she even finished, Leon added,

"Just tell her that Leon Valentine is here to meet her."

"…"

Her mouth shut instantly.

By now, almost every kingdom and every noble house had received the news of what the second princess did that night.

The second princess's stance was no joke. With her name, Leon had every right to barge in to meet her, even unofficially.

The maid gulped and stepped away from the door.

"Please forgive me for not recognizing you, Sir Leon." She bowed with her hands on her chest. "The Second Princess is inside."

She looked at him and added, "She's alone, and the entire floor is enchanted with a sound barrier."

"That's good to hear." Leon nodded, then entered through the door.

As he stepped in, all the sound from outside vanished in an instant.

"So peaceful," Leon muttered silently.

There were rows of bookshelves lined on both sides, each one containing books related to the romance and dark fantasy genres.

Leon read a few of the titles as he passed by.

[Petals Beneath the Moonlight]

[When Winter Learned to Bloom]

[A Promise Sewn with Silk]

[The Duke's Bed Wasn't the Only Thing Unforgiven]

Leon's eyes twisted at the last title.

'What are they thinking, adding this in a library like this…'

He didn't want to think about it, as most of the books here were brought in when students requested them.

'Let's just pretend I never saw that.'

As soon as he passed several rows, his steps halted when he saw her.

Right near a floor-to-ceiling circular window, Eula was seated on a couch, holding a thin book.

Her slender fingers brushed her lips as she used the wetness of their tips to flip the pages. With one hand, she tucked one of her loose strands behind her ear.

And her ocean-blue eyes, hidden behind her crystal specs, traced along the words she read.

It was Leon's first time seeing her in glasses.

He casually smiled and walked near her.

"I didn't know you wore glasses too?"

To his words, Eula replied without averting her gaze from the page.

"You sound surprised for someone who knows how much I read."

Leon chuckled lightly and sat on the couch next to her. "That's true. Well, I can't see without glasses either."

"I am not as blind as you, though," she replied, turning her head toward him.

The couches were stationed close, so Leon felt a few of her loose hairs brushing over his cheeks.

He didn't react. Instead, his eyes locked onto her face.

"What?" Eula narrowed her gaze as she noticed his stare. "Do I look ugly in glasses?"

Leon blinked, then said, "What if I say yes?"

Eula closed her book and sighed before answering. "Then I would just say you are lying."

"Oh? That confidence."

Eula placed her book on the table and removed her glasses as well.

Her gaze intensified.

"What are you here for?"

Leon straightened his posture and simply said,

"I am here to introduce you to someone."

"Who?" Eula was confused, because besides them, the entire floor was empty.

Leon closed his eyes for a second and simply called her name.

"Rumi, come greet her."

The mention of that name made Eula's heart beat painfully faster.

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